Method and means for flushing defecators



Feb. 23, 1937. w, c, GROENIGER 2,071,790

METHOD AND MEANS FOR FLUSHING DEFECATORS.

Filed Jan. 4, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR )NILLIAM GROE ER I HIS ORNEY Feb. 23, 1937. w. c. GROENIGER 2,071,790

METHOD AND MEANS FOR FLUSHING DEFECATORS Filed Jan. 4, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 23, 1937 STATES Pars FIE METHOD AND.MEANS FOR- FLUSHING.

' DEFECATORS/ Application January. 4, 1936, Serial'No. 57,487

8. Claims.

.My. invention relates. to, an improved. method of fluslfing.,defecators,. i. .e. .water closets. and the like and. to meansv for. accomplishing, same.

Moreparticularly, .my-invention relates to the 57 method of. flushing. a defecator. wherein water or. a like. liquid is utilized as a sanitary. agent and wherein air. or. likefluid under pressure is caused. to effect evacuation of same, together with foreignewaste matter; and to. a defecator embodyingmeansfor performance of my stated method.

A.primary,object of. the presentinvention is to: accomplish marked, saving. in the amount of water. or theelike forflushing a defecator, maintaina. sanitary. sealLof the. defecator. under nonfiushing conditions, and otherwise conformto the sanitary. codes.

To the-above andv other advantageous ends, my invention-contemplates the usev of water or ;.like liquidto efiect the'usualsanitary cleansing of a..1defecator or. like bowl, and also serve as a vehicle for. receiving and. discharging foreign matter; air or the like under compression when released-serving. to impart the proper. momentum 2513013118 water to effectively. discharge. the water andcertain. foreign matter through the upfiow leg of the bowl by'syphonic action.

Advantageouslya. cycle. of. operation, during theflushing period, may be employed whereby goair underpressure is applied to the contents of the well of the bowl at thesame time-as, or at a predeetrminedperiod of,time before or jointly with, the. period. of supply of .water.

Air-under pressure. is utilized as the momentum 35. imparting agent, i. e'.-, the. medium by which force is: applied: to the v contents of the bowl, inclusive ofathev after-filLand any. foreign waste matter contained therein, ,to impart the. requisite momentum for the discharge.

40 My, present invention" is-alsoconcerned with meansz for efliciently carrying out the above method, and tothis end I. providea defecator bow-l.- advantageouslyof the construction disclosed in my, co-pending. application Serial No.

45749069; filed Oct. 19, 1934,- arranged. for the employment of, air under pressure-pursuant to my present invention.

By my-invention, a; marked saving of. water OI'wllkfi liquid. is had; The desirability of such Further: detailsiand objects of myinvention 55 aremore-fully.disclosed-inthe following descripindicates a defecator bowl having a construc- 5.

tion generally disclosedand claimed in my aforesaid co-pending application.

Such, or equivalent, bowl is preferably of' a unitary. constructionhaving, inter alia, anupper. portion, H and a lower portion or well I2, and. may. be supported in any suitable manner as from a wall indicated. at- I3, for which manner of. support the. bowl may be provided with a vertical web. I 4 which extends rearwardly and normal. from the main body of the bowlto. a.

vertical back plate or apron iii. A preferred. form of. support. affording suspension. of. the. bowl, is. disclosed and claimedin my co-pending application, Serial-No. 48,860 filed'November 8,.

1935, entitled Plumbing connection.

As shown, the-interior surface of. the bowl l0.- 3 is preferably of'a general conical contour. de-- fined. in part by the. outer wall Illa and in part. by the upper surfaceof the inwardly ahddownwardly extending. ledge lllb, which ledge and. its

supporting web lllc may be integral parts of the. entire bowl structure.

The. well l6. leads directly into a trapway or up-flow leg ll defined between theunder surface.

ofthe ledge lllb and an under, upwardly extend ing arcuate portion Illa of the bowl.

The-upper wallportion H has at its topa. rim formation including an enclosed rim channel l6. extending completely around thebowl periphery-and leading from the main chamber I8. 45,

The rim formation partially overhangs the bowl interior. At closely spaced. intervals throughout the. length. of the overhanging por-- tion, and communicating with the rim channel It, are aplurality-of jet openings 56a, suchjet. openings being preferably small in diameter and. directed at an angle tothe vertical. The rim channel l6. communicates with the main chamber. l8. through its two inlet. openings I617, l6b.

Duringthe.flushing.period,.water-or other effiu- 55.

following 10 ent of the nature of water is supplied to the main chamber 58 from a supply pipe I9 communicating with the bowl through an orifice 20, the connection of such supply pipe I9 with the orifice 23 being had in any suitable manner. From the main chamber I8, the effluent flows through the two inlet openings IBb, I61), into the rim channel I6.

During the flushing period, air, or other fluid of the nature of air, under pressure is supplied under suitable control to the main air duct 2I, from a suitable compressed air supply line 22. The main air duct 21 leads to the air duct 2Ia of the vertical air jet opening 23, for initiating and maintaining a vortical movement of the contents 24 of the bowl. The main air duct 2I also leads to the momentum air jet opening 25, disposed and directed in its eifective opening in substantial alignment with the well I6 and the entranceof the up-flow discharge leg I'I. Preferably, as shown in the drawings, the effective opening of the momentum jet 25 is of relatively flat configuration, the longer dimension of the opening extending co-directionally with the inner surface of the bowl.

at 29 connects with the outlet end of the up-flow leg I I, for the discharge of the contents of the bowl. Such evacuator preferably has the construction set forth in my co-pending application Serial No. 48,860, filed November 8, 1935, entitled, Plumbing connection.

Preferably the introduction of water and air to the bowl II! for initiating and effecting a flushing is had'concomitantly. Provision of means to such end may include any suitable arrangement capable of introducing water and air to the bowl and regulating the same in time and other operative relation to each other.

An effective water-air supply arrangement, as illustrated in the drawings, comprises a water valve 34, which includes provision for automatic shut-01f after a definite interval of time has elapsed, and a therewith co-ordinated air valve 26, also including provision for automatic shutoff, the same being suitably related to the water supply pipe I9 and the air supply line 22, respectively: such co-ordination in suitable timed relation to each other may be had by means of the jointed-lever arm connection 21, having a conveniently located manual control handle 28.

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 illustrate successive stages of operation of a flushing cycle pursuant to the method of the present invention.

Normally, the well of the defecator bowl is supplied with a body of water 24, termed the afterfill, at a proper sealing level indicated at 30a, determined by the height of the discharge weir IIa of the up-flow leg H, as appears from Fig. 1.

When it is desired to flush the defecator bowl, the handle 28 is operated to initiate the flushing cycle by opening the water valve 34 and the air valve 26..

The respective valves may be so timed that both open simultaneously or that the water valve may open a predetermined interval in advance of, or subsequent to the instant of opening of the air valve.

In the illustrated instance, see Fig. 3, water from the supply pipe I9, under suitable pressure, flows into the main chamber I8 in advance of the introduction of compressed air, the water entering and filling the rim channel I6, whereupon the pressure of the water forces it through the respective rim jet openings I6a, about the periphery of the interior walls of the bowl, and in the form of a plurality of jets 3i directed against the side surfaces of the bowl, to exert a quasichiseling and/or scrubbing action on any solid waste matter that might have adhered thereto. The direction of discharge of the jets 3| is preferably in conformity to the direction of vortical movement imparted by the air jet 23, in this instance in counter-clockwise direction, as viewed from above in Figs. 2 and 4.

At its predetermined interval, air under pressure is admitted into the duct 2| from the compressed air supply line 22, such compressed air initially causing a forceful discharge of water lodged in the vortical air'duct 2Ia, namely, through the vortical jet opening 23, thus engendering and, thereafter maintaining a vortical movement of the contents 24 of the bowl, indicated bythe dotted arrowe'd'line 32, Fig. 4. The air pressure through the air duct 2Ib causes a forceful discharge through the main jet opening 25, of water lodged in the lower portion of the air duct 2Ib, thereby initiating and thereafter maintaining a momentum effect upon the water disposed in the well I6, and rectilinearly directed toward and upwardly of the up-flow leg I'I,. thence over the weir or dam IIa, thence into and through evacuator 29, and eventually into the soil pipe or the like, connected thereto. Such momentum is enhanced by the expansion, see 33, Fig. 4, of the theretofore compressed air stream into the water disposed in the well and in the The vertical movement imparted to the water by the vortical jet 23 causes solid, and/or semisolid, and/or floating foreign matter to be positively displaced towards the center of the vortex and positively downwardly within the bowl into the well I5, and directly into the path of discharge of the momentum air jet 25.

Fig. 5 illustrates a final stage of the flushing cycle Whereat the foreign waste matter and its environmental after-fill has been discharged from the bowl, and whereat the rim jets continue their flow upon and downwardly of the side surfaces of the bowl to restore the after-fill to proper sealing level, and preparatory to subsequent use i and repeated flushing.

From the above it appears that my invention provides for a mass of effluent of the nature of Water disposed within the bowl, serving jointly as a seal for the trapway of the bowl and for receiving foreign matter, solid, semi-solid, liquid, etc., and, during the flushing stage, to effectuate the discharge of such contents from the bowl upwardly of the trapway to a soil line or the like by a fluid of the nature of air under compression, and the refilling of the bowl with the stated mass effluent preparatory for subsequent use.

Such refilling of the bowl is advantageously had by the provision of rim openings having their effective discharge directed against the inner sides of the bowl, to thereby remove matter therefrom.

Preferred embodiments of my invention, provide for a vortical movement of the contents of the bowl at an initial stage of the discharge of the contents by the fluid under compression of the nature of the air.

Whereas, I have described my invention by reference to specific forms thereof, it will be understood that many changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. The method of flushing defecators having a bowl provided with a well and trapway arranged to receive an effiuent of the nature of water serving as a seal, which includes introducing fluid of the nature of air under pressure to the well of said bowl for discharging the sealing effluent and therein contained contents through a suitable outlet, introducing a predetermined quantity of liquid of the nature of water into said bowl, and terminating the supply of air at a predetermined time before introduction of the said quantity of water or like liquid ceases.

2. A method of flushing defecators having a bowl and a liquid filled well, which includes introducing air or like fluid under pressure to the well of said bowl in the form of a vortical jet and a main discharge jet operative to discharge the contents of said well through a suitable outlet, introducing a predetermined quantity of water or like liquid into said bowl, and cutting oil the supply of air or like fluid at a predetermined time before introduction of the said quantity of water or like liquid ceases.

3. A method of flushing defecators having a bowl and a liquid filled well, which includes introducing air or like fluid under pressure to the Well of said bowl in a manner operative to discharge the contents of same through a suitable outlet, introducing a predetermined quantity of water or like liquid into said bowl in the form of rim jets, and cutting off the supply of air or like fluid at a predetermined time before introduction of the said quantity of Water or like liquid ceases.

4. A method of flushing defecators having a bowl and a liquid filled well, which includes introducing air or like fluid under pressure to the well of said bowl in the form of a vortical jet and a main discharge jet operative to discharge the contents of same through a suitable outlet, introducing a predetermined quantity of water or like liquid into said bowl in the form of rim jets, and cutting ofi the supply of air or like fluid at a predetermined time before introduction of the said quantity of water or like liquid ceases.

5. A method of flushing defecators having a bowl and a liquid filled well, which includes introducing a predetermined quantity of water or like liquid into the bowl, introducing air or like fluid under pressure to the well of said bowil either at the same time or at a predetermined time after starting to introduce the aforesaid quantity of water or like liquid, and in a manner operative to discharge the contents of said well through a suitable outlet, and cutting off the supply of air or like fluid under pressure at a predetermined time before introduction of the said quantity of water or like liquid ceases.

6. A defecator, including in combination a bowl having a body of liquid such as water maintained therein at a constant level excepting at flushing periods, means for introducing air or like fluid to said bowl to efiect evacuation of the contents, means for introducing liquid, such as water, to said bowl, and valves operative to control the introduction of the liquid and the air or like fluid into the said bowl in timed relation to each other.

7. The combination with a bowl provided with an upflow trapway discharge of a chamber for receiving an eflluent of the nature of water, rim openings, channel means connecting said rim openings with said chamber, a supply of com pressed fiuid of the nature of air, a jet opening disposed Within the bowl below the level of the eflluent serving normally to seal the trapway, and passage means connecting said jet opening with said supply of compressed fluid of the nature of air.

8. The combination with a bowl provided with an upflow trapway discharge of a chamber for receiving an eflluent of the nature of water, rim openings, channel means connecting said rim openings with said chamber, a supply of compressed fluid of thenature of air, a jet opening disposed within the bowl below the level of the effluent serving normally to seal the trapway, a second jet opening disposed within the bowl below the normal level of the efiluent and directed arcuately relative to the vertical center of the bowl for initiating a vortical movement of the contents of the bowl, and channel means connecting said jet openings with said supply of compressed fluid of the nature of air.

WILLIAM C. GROENIGER. 

